L'Œuf de l'ange

This film is not live-action, nor is it a short. What it is is the quintessential Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) film, a haunting, ethereal drama more concerned with imagery and mood than with plot or characterization. A young girl (lavishly designed by animator-turned-fine artist Yoshitaka Amano) wanders the desolate streets of a dark, nightmarish world; her fragile faith rests in the form of a gigantic egg, which she hopes to protect. Eventually, she meets an enigmatic stranger bearing a crucifix and a decidedly pragmatic worldview ("You have to break an egg if you are to know what's inside," he tells her). This is Oshii at his most obtuse, and even he claims to not know the true meaning of this film. The film is a pure work of art, however, free from all commercial baggage. For this reason, it should be viewed by everyone with a genuine interest in the art of animation. Note: Beware the Roger Corman film "In the Aftermath," which takes some footage from this film and places it in a different context.

THE ANGEL'S EGG (1985) is a lovely collaboration by Japanese cinema and anime pioneer Mamoru Oshii (later to direct PATLABOR and GHOST IN THE SHELL) and truly gifted illustrator Yoshitaka Amano (VAMPIRE HUNTER D and FINAL FANTASY). Oshii's work is reminiscent of David Lynch's in many ways, it's always slow, offbeat and either works (most of his anime films) or doesn't (his cold and artificial live action film AVALON). THE ANGEL'S EGG is paced very akin to a David Lynch film. Like ERASERHEAD, it feels like about 10 minutes of plot stretched out to over an hour and while it does share that film's sense of the bizarre, it's effect is less Lynch's dread and more akin to the cold but beautiful tranquility of Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

THE ANGEL'S EGG is amazing barrage of gorgeous visuals that slowly creep up on the screen for one to admire. It's images of egg-carrying little girls walking across a destitute landscape, strange, orb-shaped machines, ancient skeletons and villagers spearing illusionary fish which they will never catch (perhaps a metaphor for religious fanaticism) are truly lovely. The animation is beautiful and it translates Amano's visions, of a world not of the past, present or future that looks equal parts medieval and post apocalyptic, the best of any animation rooted in his worlds. One can choose to see the film for its metaphors, but one is more recommended to simply sit back and enjoy the lovely, painterly images that flash before your eyes.

If you are expecting something furiously paced and full of action and violence like many other anime films, you will be let down and the film is not recommended. It's the closest Japanese animated film to being a true art-house film and is recommended to be approached with that mentality. Simply sit back for an hour or so and let this film take you to its vivid world. Highly recommended for lovers of artistic and intelligent animation.

Angel's Egg is a visual poetry. More like a nightmare in a very dark world. Visually elegant and it takes you to another world, a dream world. A must watch if you are hungry for a different kind of cinematic experience.

Director Mamoru Oshii's 1985 film Angel's Egg was a fine example of the themes that would define his movies to come. Like his later films, Ghost in the Shell, Beautiful Dreamer, Patlabor and Avalon, Angel's Egg is a lush visual landscape filled with beautiful, mystifying (and often stupefying) imagery. The story involves a young girl who is highly possessive of an oversized egg from which, she believes, will hatch a beautiful bird. She wanders a dark and empty world clinging to the egg waiting endlessly for the moment to arrive. You are given the feeling that this world has existed for hundreds or thousands of years, maybe forever. The girl has also existed forever, waiting and dreaming. Into this dark world, wanders a soldier(?). From the very beginning his intentions seem ominous but never definite. The girl is initially afraid of the man but eventually they join forces and wander the bizarre landscape together, pontificating about the world around them until his purpose is made clear. Almost all of Oshii's films rely on an immense amount of Christian mythology. Angel's Egg is the most obvious. Filled with an oppressively moody and pensive atmosphere, it is all visual and very little story. The entire script only totals about a paragraph, the rest of the film is all atmosphere and tension building. This, however, is it's greatest strength. All the themes of Noah's flood, birth, death and rebirth are obvious even if we don't have characters to explain them. You are drawn into the world of the naive young girl by her innocence. You want to see the egg hatch and find out what's inside. You want to know the thoughts of the soldier and his true intentions. Some questions are answered, most are not. Oshii was wise to end the film early. (It clocks in at only a little over an hour.) Weather this was for financial reasons or for reasons of plot, it keeps you from becoming bored with the story no matter how thin it may be. The film is certainly not going to appeal to everyone. Most viewers will certainly be befuddled by the lack of a definite linear plot, but if you thrive on the philosophical or purely visual experience this film is a must.

"Maybe you, I, and the fish only exist in the memory of a person who is long gone. Maybe no one really exists and it's only raining outside."

Beautiful, evocative visuals, but a slow, rather opaque story, one that's awash in Christian and apocalyptic symbolism. You can decide for yourself what it all means, or that it means nothing, and it's only raining outside.

My take: In this world of shadows, fossils, and death, the only hope for new life lies in the egg the girl carries around, similar to Noah's ark after the flood. In this telling of the tale, though, the Christ or God-like figure tells her that the doves don't return to the ark, and later crushes the egg. It seems rather dark and pessimistic - and yet, life seems to have a way of bubbling to the surface on its own, and when viewed from a distance, the world and all its troubles seem rather small.